


Bridge The Gap

by izzybelledot



Category: DCU, Miraculous Ladybug, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Absent Parents, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Bashing, Asexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Bad Parent Sabine Cheng, Bad Parent Tom Dupain, Bad Parents Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Batdad, Bisexual Disaster Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Bisexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bullied Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Bullying, Designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Fluff, Fox Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Identity Reveal, Gen, Girls Kissing, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Good Friend Chloé Bourgeois, Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, Kissing, Kwami Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Kwami Swap Week, Kwamis Are Gods, Ladybug Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Malchiors a bitch, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is Over Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Deserves Better, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Needs a Break, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug has ADHD, Meditation, Not Adrien friendly, Peacock Adrien Agreste, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Scars, Slade Wilson Being an Asshole, Spells & Enchantments, Stressed Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Strong Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Tattoos, Team Bonding, Teen Titans References, Teen Titans as Family, Traumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng, chakras, cuz i said so, guys shes traumatized, i wrote this at 2 am after drinking a redbull, interspection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26971156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izzybelledot/pseuds/izzybelledot
Summary: Marinette has been a superheroine since she was thirteen, and once that's over she finds herself lost. But she has friends who can help her, and support her when the war she fought to end isn't as closed as she thought. And if one of those friends was half demoness who lives in America- then she was gonna buy a plane ticket.ORThe fic where Raven and Marinette met when she was fourteen, and they became penpals.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste & Slade Wilson, Chloé Bourgeois & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng /Raven (DCU), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Dick Grayson, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Garfield Logan, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Koriand'r (DCU), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Raven (DCU), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Robin (DCU), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Victor Stone
Comments: 103
Kudos: 546
Collections: Miraculous Crossover, miraculous ladybug





	1. Off Balance

Raven was starting to regret this trip.

It was hot outside, the sort of hot where it would be best not to wear a heavy dark cloak over her. So she'd put on some shorts and a blue flannel and tried to blend in with the population around her. Of course, that meant she couldn't just levitate around, and nor could she manipulate the shadows to cover her from the glaring sun overhead. She was already sunkissed and had blisters on her feet and she'd only been walking for half an hour.

She couldn't even blame Robin for this one, he didn't even know she was here. 

It had been her idea, and hers alone. She had sensed some sort of disturbance in Paris and had figured she should check it out. Maybe most would just let it slide, but Raven was uneased by it. The magic signature was different than her own, it felt older somehow. So she found herself in Paris, with burned skin and no leads.

Maybe this hadn't been the best idea. 

Raven sighed to herself, looking around to find a way out out of the heat. She should look around some more while she was here, she could search for a few more hours before heading home. But she would take a break first. 

She spotted a cafe on the corner, decently busy. She was multilingual thankfully, and while she hadn't mastered french yet she could pass easily enough. The bell chimed as she entered, the cool air inside soothing her skin blessedly. The man at the cashier greeted her, comically large for his cheery disposition. Still, Raven was used to strange characters and ordered an iced tea and a few assorted macaroons. It was nice to try something different. 

There wasn't a ton of seating inside, and despite it not being busy she still found herself sitting at a table next to a smaller girl. She didn't seem to notice her, too absorbed in the sketchbook she was working in. 

But that didn't mean Raven didn't notice her, or more specifically- the powerful magical energy coming from her purse. She tentatively taped into the signature, careful that she would be able to retreat in an instant if necessary. 

_'Hello?' ___

__It only takes a moment for her to get a response, it's tinted with cautious curiosity. _'Hi, Raven! I am Tikki, the Kwami of creation.' _____

____Well then. Of course Raven knows about Kwamis, they're the equivalent of celebrities or cyrptids at the least. Stumbling upon the literal Kwami of creation was not what she expected. The girl whose purse the Kwami inhabited was so unassuming, small instature and hunched in on herself as she worked. _'It's an honor to meet you. I came to Paris to investigate the magical disturbance here. I'm guessing you know about that.' _____ _ _

______A giggle came across the bond, like light twinkling bells. _'I might know something about that. Did you know the Miraculous of Emotion and Transmission were lost many years ago?' _____ _ _ _ _

________Raven sipped her tea as she listened to the Kwami tell her about the Paris situation. It was interesting, and more than explained the backlash. She was surprised the Justice League hadn't been called, but upon learning the Green Lantern hadn't taken them serious she couldn't help but emphasize. Adults very rarely listened to teenagers, and even rarer did authority figures. Finally the tale came to a close, and Raven sat back to reasses._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her being in Paris was dangerous now that she knew about the context. Even if she was experienced in keeping her emotions at bay, she was prone to outbursts and the level of control she had to exercise to use her powers wasn't sustainable. She would have to leave as soon as possible, portaling out would make that easy at least._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh!" The girl in front of her squeaked, coloring slightly as she hurridly smiled. Her eyes were a startling shade of blue, and Raven found herself thrown off. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there, I'm Marinette."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Rachel," Raven offered tentatively. "I haven't been here for long really, but I could see you were pretty absorbed."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah," Marinette giggled nervously, hands tapping a rhythem against the page in front of her. "I do that at times- get absorbed in my work I mean."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I know the type, believe me," Raven replied. And she did, Robin was as workoholic as could be. Marinette seemed similar though, with deep purple bags under her eyes, which was understandable considering the diety she carried in her purse. "At least you can admit it."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Marinette's eyes sparkled with humor, leaning forward a bit. "I try. And hey, I'm talking to you aren't I? I'm not a zombie!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Barely," Raven replied, nodding her head to where Marinette's drink was balanced precariously on the edge of the table. Marinette scrambled to right it much to her amusement. "You're more friendly then one anyways."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh I _know," _Marinette replied sagely. "I'm a people person. Well, I like talking to people I mean, I don't just trust strangers automatically."___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"And I thought we were getting somewhere," Raven deadpanned to Marinette's giggling. "I guess I'll have to wait a bit longer."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Oh definitely." Marinette paused, eyes calculating before she continued. "I get if you say no, but could I sketch you while we're talking? I like your style, and I've wanted to try to find some new inspiration for awhile now."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________That made Raven pause, mainly due to the novelty of the situation. She wasn't exactly a caveman recluse, she lived with four other teens after all, but she didn't leave Titan Tower all that often. She had a few cafes and bookshops she frequented (as well as one particular waffle house) but she rarely interacted with people on those trips. And rarely ever was it in any context but for her 'celebrity' status. "Alright."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Thanks!" Marinette grinned brightly, flipping to a fresh page and practically diving headfirst into her work as she talked. "I have one friend who has a vaguely similar style, but it's not the same and yours has a different edge to it. Can I ask about the jewel on your forehead?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"It's a chakra," Raven explained hesitantly. "The forehead chakra, or ajna chakra symbolizes intuition and clarity. It's important in meditation."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Marinette hummed lightly as she listened, eyes flittering over her occasionally. "That makes sense. I meditate, but I'm not very avid about it. It's more of a necessity than a real interest."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"When did you start meditating?" Raven asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Oh, I've meditated occasionally since I was young. My maman thought it was important for me to learn, but I only started doing it consistently when I was thirteen."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"And you are...?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Fourteen now," Marinette replied. "What about you?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Meditation has been important to me since I was young," Raven said. "I could text you a few websites that explain chakra meditation if you'd like?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Thatd be nice," Marinette unlocked her phone and slid it forwards across the table. "Enter your number in, I can send you a recipe if you're interested? Sometimes I find that doing more repetitive or mindless tasks can make me calm down faster. I have a few easier recipes that work well for that."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Raven couldn't help but be touched by that, even if it wasn't necessarily a bother. She entered in the number and slid it back across the table. "I'd apreciate that."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A crash sounded from outside, startling both girls. Their wide eyes met for a moment before a handful of dings rang out, coming from multiple places through the room. Marinette reacted immediately, pulling out her phone and silencing it as others in the shop did the same. She smiled sheepishly at Raven, her entire demeanor shifting. There was a certain fire in her eye that flared up. "Sorry, that's an akuma alett. I gotta run to check on something, but uh- I'll see you later maybe?"

__________She rushed out of the shop, even as Raven noticed other customers moving farther back into it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Time to be a hero, she guessed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Hot Temper

It seems Raven was not the only one disgusted by the weather.

The 'akuma' at first glance looked like an eight-foot-tall block of ice and had an air twice as cold. It has an ice popsicle that it waved around like a wand to freeze things around him. In actuality he didn't seem all that intimidating, likely due to the fact that he stomped his foot and yelled out how 'unfair' and 'not cool' people were being.

Such a hot temper, it was ironic really.

Still, the irony didn't make the situation less dangerous. Raven could see civilians rushing away with frostbitten fingers and noses. For the first time all day, Raven felt cold and almost wished she had brought her winter cloak instead of her normal one. Paris was looking like a horrible vacation spot all around.

Then a red and black figure whipped onto the scene, flying gracefully over the akuma's head in the blink of an eye. She seemed to be accessing the situation mainly, but Raven couldn't tell from so far away. Her emotions were muted compared to the raging fire of anger that was rolling off the akuma, focused mainly on his popsicle. Marinette- or _Ladybug _seemed to come to the same conclusion, as her next attack seemed geared toward the item. So maybe it wasn't all bad.__

__Raven centered herself, stretching a hand out and chanting her mantra. Ladybug froze for a moment, having just been forcibly yanked out of the way of an incoming blast. "Need a hand?"_ _

__Her eyes widened at seeing the famed heroine, flashing her a grateful grin across the area. "Yes, actually!"_ _

__Ladybug continued her attack, weaving around Raven's own attacks as well as they could manage with the akuma's skin being so hard. It was a fairly obnoxious fight actually, with him screaming out dumb phrases; "I am Freeze Dude!" or "Just chill out, man."  
Despite how annoying it was, his powers were surprisingly effective. Ladybug's hits hurt her more than him, and the psychic blasts didn't do much either. They just couldn't get close enough, and the air around him was freezing. Finally, Ladybug pulled back aways, scrutinizing him where he was freezing the windows along a building. _ _

__"Lucky charm!"_ _

__Suprisingly enough, a red and black disk fell from the sky. Raven had heard from Tikki that most lucky charms were unconventional, but she was still thrown. "Should we go watch a movie?"_ _

__"Wha-" Ladybug's face suddenly erupted in a violent blush. "Why would... I mean-"_ _

__"What else is a c.d. mean?" Raven asked hesitantly. Maybe Ladybug just saw something she didn't, but she didn't know what good a c.d. would do against him. "Can you think of anything?"_ _

__"Oh," Ladybug breathed out, looking closely at the akuma. She was extremely focused, her gaze not wavering from him. "Sometimes it's not literal- actually it rarely is when I get something like this."_ _

__There was a moment of silence before her eyes brightened. "I have an idea, but I need a distraction-"_ _

__"Me-owch, M'lady! Starting the froze-tivities without me?"_ _

___What the fuck- ____ _

____The boy who just apeared behind them seemed around her age, blond hair and green eyes. Despite being late to the attack he seemed fairly at ease, resting half against the side of a building with his silver staff attached to his belt. But he had a grin stretched over his face casually as he eyed Ladybug._ _ _ _

_____Oh, fuck no. ____ _ _ _

______That was the look Adonis gave Starfire, less predatory sure but every bit as possessive and confident. Ladybug to her credit didn't seemed particularly thrilled with him either, but she just waved him down hurriedly. "Perfect, Raven I need you to drop me through a portal over Freeze Dude while Chat distracts him. If you could send a few of your phycic barriers at him too that'd be great."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Raven nodded, preparing herself as Chat launched himself into the frey. He was admittedly a good distraction, though some of his leaps and taunts caused Freeze Dude to fire closer to lingering civilians then she would have liked. And though Ladybug grimanced, she didn't say anything. They waited a moment for him to become frustrated, before Raven opened the portal._ _ _ _ _ _

______Ladybug didn't hesitate, dropping through the portal and latching onto one of the grooves of ice along Freeze Dude's back. She wound her yo-yo around his neck as he tried to buck her off. Chat Noir rushed forward, being thrown back into a street light for his efforts. Raven herself tried to trap his legs in place but was having trouble with it. It was practically over, Freeze Dude's flailing left his hand closer to Ladybug then was smart. She managed to snatch the popsicle and shatter it on the ground. "Miraculous ladybug!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______The loveliness of ladybugs fixing the city was mesmerizing. But that couldn't distract her from how horrible the heat was already starting to feel under the cloak. _Great. _She shifted the fabric over her shoulder for the moment to ease her discomfort as she walked over to where Ladybug was sitting next to an awkward looking boy.___ _ _ _ _ _

________"-and it was just it, man. I couldn't take it any more. They wouldn't stop laughing."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven looked away, something strange pulling at her heart. It was so strange to think of what life would look like if she'd been fully human. It was strange to think of being so upset over a small string of bad luck and a dropped ice cream when she had to fight robotic ninjas and gorrilas with enhanced intelligence. Maybe that was small minded, but it still held water in her opinion._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The boy thanked Ladybug as Raven refocused, dusting off his gym shorts as he ran off. Raven held out her hand for Ladybug, pulling her up. "Thank you so much for helping! But," She paused a moment. "What are you doing here?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I felt the disturbance in Paris and came to check it out. This is fairly common?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah, and where were you anyways," Chat Noir grumbled as he walked up to them. "We've fought fine on our own so far."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Chat!" Ladybug reprimanded. "Yes, it is unfortunately. We don't have any leads on Hawkmoth yet, but I've started some basic search parameters and I'm waiting for the police department to approve my request to find the akumas on security footage."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Impressive," Raven replied. "If I'd known earlier I might have helped, but from what I can tell that's a bad idea."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ladybug winced, wringing her hands out in front of her. "Yeah, thank you for coming all this way, but- it really is too dangerous to have powered individuals in Paris at this time. As much as possible anyways."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven nodded easily, having come to a similar conclusion when Tikki had explained it. "I'd still like to-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________An urgent beeping rang out, Chat Noir looking down at his ring with some panic. "I've got to go, meow-lady. But don't you worry," He surged forward to grab Ladybug's hand and kissed it before backing away. "I'll take you on an icecream date!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Then he sprung away, leaving Raven to wonder how Ladybug was even sane. She turned back to the heroine, figuring buisness was in order. "As I said, I'd still like to keep in touch, Marinette."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Wha-" Ladybug squeaked suddenly, nearly faceplanting in shock. "How do you- Who's Marinette?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Ladybug, it's alright I won't be telling anyone. I have friends with identities, remember?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ladybug seemed to wrestle with herself for a moment before pulling Raven into an alley nearby. When she detransformed, Raven had to look away for a moment. "How'd you find out?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Tikki being in your purse gave it away. But since there aren't many metas or magic users in Paris there's little chance you'll be found out. There's even rarer to find people powerful enough to find TIkki then ordinary magic. Paris is deeply imprinted with it, so most magic users wouldn't notice anyways," Raven explained much to Marinette's visible relief._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Alright, I-" She paused, searching Raven's eyes for a moment. "I trust you, it's just a bit to get my head around."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven nodded towards her purse. "You have my number. Talk to me about anything, I can imagine it would be nice to have someone you can tell anything to- secret identities or otherwise."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Marinette giggled at that, shifting back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Yeah, it was strange going from being open to not being able to tell anyone _anything. _That means a lot, Raven, thank you. And you can talk to me too, ya know!"___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Raven blinked in astonishment, but Marinette was already brightening at her idea. "I know you don't really have an identity issue, but I'm detached from any situations you have to deal with. So I can give you a listening ear, or some more unbiased advise!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Despite herself, Raven smiled at that and found herself agreeing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________And later, Raven found herself back at the tower deep in a conversation over text with Marinette and couldn't help but wonder why she was already so fond of her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D  
> Some stuff about how Raven and Mairnette would get along cuz I'm exited about this idea:
> 
> Realistically, most of the people in Paris would be fantastic at supessing their emotions, so Marinette would defiantly understand Raven in that regard since she has even more pressure. Raven would find it relieving to talk to someone who understands there, and Marinette would be able to confide in Raven about being a heroine.  
> GIVE. MARINETTE. A. SUPPORT. SYSTEM.  
> Raven would probably find Marinette to be a bit of a pushover at first, but like with Cyborg and the T-car, she would think about it and go deeper. Marinette might be offput by Raven's more sarcastic nature, but by talking to her more she could really use it to vent about Lila or Chloé (pre-charector arc cuz fuck that) without catastrosizing. Just- imagine Marinette suddenly being hella sarcastic under her breath to Lila or Chloé instead of exploding. Progress.


	3. Support Systems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Lila starts her takeover, Marinette and Raven confront some anxious thoughts.

Marinette never would have suspected three years ago that Raven would become her closest friend.

Alya had that role before, but when Lila came that reality was shattered. Alya could be hotheaded and brash at times, and it was endearing- but it wasn't helpful. So even though Marinette tried, it seemed the more she tried, the more Alya started to resent her for it. And where Alya goes, Nino follows, and the rest of the class didn't trust her all that much. Sure, she helped them out a lot, but they had all turned on her before when she was being bullied by Chloé, never doing anything about it. It wasn't all that surprising when they believed Lila over her.

If Marinette hadn't had anyone to talk to, she might have tried to force them to understand. But Raven had dissuaded her thankfully. It wasn't right that they were being tricked, but it also wasn't right how easily they cast her out of their good graces. If they were really friends then it didn't make sense for them to do that. Raven convinced her to strengthen her friendships with people who stuck with her despite Lila, those people would be more trustworthy.

So Marinette invited Kagami for juice and hung out with Luka more. Chloé had joined on one of the orange juice trips, and Kagami and Luka had already started a tentative friendship. So eventually, her individual friends morphed into one group. 

Chloé turned into her only friend inside the classroom, which Marinette _never _would have expected. She taught her how to act like nothing was bothering her at the moment and defended her fiercely.__

__Kagami helped her to explore other interests, tutoring her in fencing and letting Marinette use her as a model on occasion. She tried to work on Marinette's confidence with her but mainly helped her to realize some people weren't worth being friends with. It was hardest to learn that lesson with Alya._ _

__Luka became a source of inspiration, and several pieces Marinette produced were based on the heart-songs of her friends. He showed her how to remain calm more effectively, and tried to make sure she didn't burn herself out with her passions._ _

__Like she was trying to do now._ _

__She had been trying to fix the collar of her newest project for the past hour. And yes, it was a fairly delicate piece of fabric, but it wouldn't normally take even close to this long. She couldn't seem to concentrate and knew she might ruin the piece if she tried to correct her current endeavor too many times. This, of course, made her more anxious and more likely to make mistakes. She pricked her finger lightly and shoved back from the desk in her rolling chair._ _

__"Marinette," TIkki sighed worriedly._ _

__"I know, I know."_ _

__Tikki wasn't disuaded in the slightest. "You need-"_ _

__"To not bother beautiful superheros with petty and temporary classroom drama?" Marinette prompted to Tikki's disapproval. "I couldn't agree more!"_ _

__"Marinette you need to talk to someone, and Raven gives good advice!"_ _

__She knew it was true, Raven had helped her think through situations before. And Marinette had done the same for her, they could provide different perspectives for each other. But Marinette still didn't want to bother her. "Maybe, but it's fine!"_ _

__She stood and started pacing around her room to compensate for her tired fidgeting. She felt exhausted, but standing still made her skin crawl. She'd been especially anxious this morning, feeling her class's glares on her with every step she took. It had been bad enough she had forgotten to take her Adderall when she normally took it. She had gotten into a good schedule with it, taking one when she woke up and one at lunch. But in her flustered state, she had forgotten, and if she took it now she wouldn't be able to sleep at all._ _

__"Marinette, you should tell Raven," Tikki declared again firmly._ _

__"But," Marinette bit her lip in worry. "Shouldn't I be able to handle this? I can't loose control any time there's drama."_ _

__"Thats why you need _support," _Tikki stressed.___ _

____Marinette pulled her phone out of her pocket and clicked the contact for Raven but hesitated to call. It was eleven in Paris, but only ten a.m. in Jump City. Raven would most likely have been awake for a while now, but she still didn't want to interrupt something potentially important. It was more of an accident than anything, her finger slipping and pressing the call button when her mind was wandering- but Marinette just sighed and held the phone up anyway._ _ _ _

____"Hello?"_ _ _ _

____"What? Oh, heyyyyy, Raven! How are you?"_ _ _ _

____There was a small pause on the line before Raven answered. "Peachy. What's wrong?"_ _ _ _

____Tikki giggled from her spot on the desk, thankful for someone else caring enough to notice. "I'm fine, I guess. Schools good, lifes good, I'm good."_ _ _ _

____"Yeah right. Seriously Marinette, whats wrong?"_ _ _ _

____Marinette had a tendency to bottle up her worries and concerns for when she felt safe, only to shatter and all her worries to tumble out. And while Marinette tried to put on an act in front of her loved ones, the people who cared enough to push almost always got an answer. This time was no exception, Marinette rambled out her thoughts and the feeling she'd gotten from her classmates as she paced around her room. Raven just listened, occasionally humming to indicate that she was listening._ _ _ _

____"Have you considered transferring schools?"_ _ _ _

____"A few times," Marinette admitted. "But Dupoint has the majority of akumas, and it would be stupid to give away a headstart to battles."_ _ _ _

____"Not if it might hurt you."_ _ _ _

____"They haven't."_ _ _ _

____"Marine-"_ _ _ _

____“It’s not like they’re hitting me,” Marinette interjected. “But it’s just- the looks they give me are so _different _than I’m used to. And maybe it’s wrong of me to think so of them, but it reminds me of how akumas look. I don't-“___ _ _ _

______“Yes you do,” Raven interrupted exasperatedly. _“Marinette, _you’re too nice. If you feel unsafe then you need to be cautious.”___ _ _ _ _ _

________“I- I don’t feel unsafe per se,” She stuttered anxiously, tugging at a loose string on her hoodie. “I don’t have any evidence. Alya has never hurt me, nor has anyone else in the class!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven waited a moment, but when it became clear that Marinette couldn’t think of anything else she spoke. “Then why was Alya’s name the first you thought of?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The line was silent for a moment before Raven sighed slightly. "Marinette, it's okay for you to think people who hurt you might do it again, or more."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"But is that fair to them?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"If they're making you feel alone and isolated? Definitly."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"How can I know?" Marinette finally asked. "How can I know if I'm right or not?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Trust your gut,” Raven replied. “If you’re overthinking then that can cloud your judgment. But your gut isn’t easily swayed by that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Trust your gut,” Marinette echoed. She smiled to herself faintly despite the pain in her chest and churning in her stomach.________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _

_  
_  
_Raven was sitting in her room with a book._   
_   
_  


________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________This was fairly ordinary for her, but what wasn't was that she couldn't seem to focus on it. Her eyes skimmed over the words without absorbing anything, making reading a waste of time. But the alternative would be staring at her phone screen for hours on end without doing anything, so Raven kept fuitily trying to read. Her eyes strained for another minute before there was a tentative knock on her door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She would never finish._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yes?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Raven it's me," Robin's voice came through the door. She reached out a shred of her magic to open it, not bothering to move from where she was sitting. Robin didn't say anything else, just leaning back against the closed door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Well?" Raven prompted irritatedly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Raven, whats wrong?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She startled a bit, though she really should have been prepared. She had known someone would notice her attitude as of late, and it made sense that the resident boy wonder would be the one to find out- or at least confront her first. "I'm just in the middle of a book right now."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It's more then that," Robin stated. "I can tell."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She couldn't help but be reminded of Trigon, how Robin had tried so hard to make her talk to him about her problem. And though she had lost faith in him at the end, she has wanted to believe he could help her for awhile. "Maybe."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Raven, even Beast Boy noticed you've been off lately," Robin pointed out with some humor._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven sighed at that, knowing she must've been pretty obvious if that was the case. Just last week he hadn't even noticed when Cyborg had been wearing a gorrilla mask for an entire two hours. "It's stupid."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Robin pushed off the wall, sitting next to her as she defeatedly closed her book. "If it's bothering you then it's not. You can talk to me."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Robin, it's not a problem. I just need to be patient."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"For what?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"For Marinette," Raven mumbled. "She stopped replying to me two days ago."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Robin found himself surprised, he'd never heard about a 'Marinette' before."Who, Raven?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"My friend," Raven replied. "She lives in Paris, we've kept contact."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven had never been an open book, but she was surprisingly vulnerable at the moment. Robin thought he knew her best of everyone on the team, but this conversation made him feel that might not be saying as much as he thought. But then again, he doubted she would have opened up like this to Beast Boy. "How long have you known her?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I met her three years back," Raven admitted. "She's... important to me."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Okay, why are you worried?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"She doesn't have many trustworthy friends," Raven replied like her own words personally offended her. "And I don't trust her not to get herself into trouble."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Robin smiled at that. "Sounds like a few people I know. Has Marinette ever not replied before?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Not for this long."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"And now that she's not responding you feel..." Robin prompted her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I'm worried," Raven admitted._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Robin smiled at his friend, putting a hand on her shoulder in support. "I get why you would be, but from the way you talk about this girl you must trust her."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I do," She replied. "But I've misplaced trust before."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Silence stretched between them for a moment, but it was only that before Robin spoke again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You know Raven, you’re a good judge of character, I've only seen you misplace trust once,” Robin mentioned. “And if you like this girl half as much as it seems, then she must be pretty great.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven only smiled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	4. By The Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven gives the Teen Titans a healthy fear of a girl they've never met.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Raven felt her focus drift sleepily to the feeling of the sun on her skin. It was warm, but not hot through the window in the Titan tower's living room. It was a fairly quiet day for the tower actually. Cyborg had just gotten a new catalog for custom car parts and was studying it intently, Beast Boy had morphed into a cat to nap on the couch. Robin was looking over some reports while Starfire sat with him and watched tutorials on flower crowns. She had seen a girl with vibrant green hair and a white one and had been left in awe. 

The room would likely descend to chaos in a few minutes, but for the moment she was taking advantage of the situation to meditate. She really should try the cookie recipe Marinette had sent her, she was determined to help Raven fight against the dubbed 'kitchen curse.' So far her efforts had been unsuccessful, but Raven understood what she meant about baking being relaxing. She could imagine it was even more so when the endeavor was successful. 

Raven sighed, unfolding her legs and lowering herself to the floor. She really couldn't keep her mind off the situation. It had been a week now since Marinette had responded to her. The other Titans had done their best to distract her when they could, despite all but Robin not knowing why. Starfire had worked with her on a few rituals she'd been curious about, Cyborg had made waffles for her, and Beast Boy had helpfully offered to let her throw him off the tower as many times as she needed. 

He shouldn't have expected her not to take that offer literally.

Robin glanced up curiously at her as she moved to the electric kettle, arching an eyebrow in question. She didn't bother to respond beyond a brief shake of her head. If this went on much longer she would have to risk the trip to Paris. 

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait for long, as at that moment she felt her phone vibrate. She nearly jumped out of her skin, quickly scanning the message she had been anticipating.

Marinette: I'm so sorry for the radio silence!! But I have a good excuse; my phone was smashed. I need to talk to you as soon as you can portal over.  
Marinette: Yes, you can portal over. Hawkmoths done for. (•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■) 

All at once Raven felt relieved and all her worries from the past week seemed to hit her at once. She was dimly aware of a crash, Beast Boy shrieking as she hurriedly used her magic to get herself into some civilian clothes. Less than a second afterward she portaled out, leaving the Teen Titans shockedly blinking at where she had disappeared.

"Dude, what?"

________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

It was around one o'clock in Paris when Raven got there, and the bakery looked deserted.

There was a giant banner in ladybug spots over the doorway, and a closed sign in the window. Raven sent Marinette a quick text and waited, wishing she had thought to bring a book. It didn't matter anyway, Raven heard the sounds of a frantic Marinette tripping down the stairs within seconds. She couldn't help a smile at that, Marinette was typically filled with nervous energy and it was surprisingly endearing. 

Marinette opened the door a second later, cheeks flushed from her improntu running. She was dressed in an off the shoulder grey top and a pair of blue jeans with her hair tied up. She had a nasty looking bruise on her arm, which was concerning but she looked alright despite that. 

"I'm so sorry!" She rambled nervously before Raven could speak. She bound forward and pulled her into a brief hug before dragging her inside. "I just got a replacement phone today, I had to pay with commission money since Tom and Sabine refused to, but Chloé got me an alright deal with some friend of hers so that was nice."

"I'm just glad you're alright," Raven reassured her. "What happened?"

"C'mon!" Marinette prompted brightly as she led her into the house setion of the building. Marinette was talking a mile a minute as she led her through towards her room. "Tom and Sabine are out at a wedding I think, they said something about one yesterday anyways. They wont be home for awhile, and probably won't notice you're here even if they do get here soon."

"Thats strange for them isn't it?" Raven paused, having just came into Marinette's room behind her. "What happened?"

"Well, Lila ended up convincing some of my classmates to break into my room," Marinette began casually. "And they completely trashed the place as you can see."

Oh, Raven _could _see, and it pissed her off. Marinette's sheets hung from her bed in taters, her mannequin had chunks of it missing and had dried paint caked on it and the floor below it. She could see a pile of torn clothes in a pile, which was horrible in so many different ways. And to top it off her computer's screen was covered in green paint aside from a sloppy painted 'bitch' on top of it.__

__"So that sucked, and I'm not gonna lie I almost got akumatized. But then Sabine called me downstairs and said I got a letter, and it was from Gabriel Agreste," Marinette continued. Raven could already feel a headache forming. "It basically said that the Agreste brand would have nothing to do with me, and they would blacklistt me if they saw me at one of their competitions."_ _

__"And you didn't get akumatized how?"_ _

__"It was miserable," Marinette agreed unhelpfully. She seemed to get that though, giggling sheepishly at her. "It was such a big coincidence, and I've already suspected Gabriel Agreste of being Hawkmoth. Then I realised that Lila had been akumatized more then anyone else, despite her being the one who upset others mostly. I went up to my balcony and started meditating, and then I stated damage control. I had to go visit Jagged, Luka, Kagami, and Chloé in person to tell them that my computer was ruined and my phone had been smashed but it was fine. After that I did some research in some of the many books Master Fu left behind. Aparently it _is _possible for the butterfly wielder to akumatize himself. Ugh, I still can't believe I nearly had him!"___ _

____Raven couldn't help but smile at that, which made Marinette beam back. "Anyways, I transformed myself with the fox, and turned myself invisible to search for five minutes. I found his lair fairly easily since Tikki could phase through it. Then I went to explain to Chat, that didn't go the best."_ _ _ _

____"Oh?"_ _ _ _

____"Yeah," Marinette replied, suddenly awkward. "He was paranoid that I wouldn't reveal my identity after the fight, which he was right about. So he said he wouldn't help unless we revealed ourselves before hand. I declined and he just... crowded me I guess. Tried to kiss me and was telling me to detrasnform."_ _ _ _

____Raven frowned sadly, reaching across hesitantly to rest her hand on Marinette's. Marinette rarely reached out for help, and her doing so now probably meant it was much worse then she was letting on. Marinette responded after a moment with a strained smile. "It's fine, I took the miraculous and left him on top of some company's roof. That didn't make him look good."_ _ _ _

____"You know his identity then?"_ _ _ _

____"Yeah. It was Adrien apparently," Marinette continued on pointedly and Raven let her. "I gave Kagami the dragon, Luka the snake, and Chloé the bee again. Then I transformed into Multimouse and used the fox, ladybug, cat, and turtle."_ _ _ _

____"That's," Raven paused. "A lot."_ _ _ _

____"Yeah," Marinette giggled for a moment. "Gabriel was shocked, Natalie was off guard as well. Neither one of them could put up a very effective fight, and we used the second chance on the ride to the police station as a precaution. Nothing happened that I know of, but we were paranoid."_ _ _ _

____"You were only traumatized by a terrorist for four years," Raven deadpanned._ _ _ _

____"Right. I planned on getting a new phone, but all the shops closed for a day to celebrate, and then I had a lot of press to deal with and had to give my statements."_ _ _ _

____"And your room?"_ _ _ _

____It did not escape Raven's notice that her room was still very much decimated._ _ _ _

____Marinette did scowl this time, glaring pointedly at the floor. "They thought I threw a tantrum for some reason, probably Lila's influence."_ _ _ _

____Raven paused a moment before reaching forward to pull her into a hug. It wasn't particularly common for her to do so, and it showed in how Marinette jumped. Usually when the other Titans went off the radar it was only for a day at most, Cyborg's brief stint at Hive academy had been worrying but at least she had known beforehand. Marinette's radio silence had been sudden and unexplicatble._ _ _ _

____The contact ended fairly quickly, though Marinette still looked a bit stunned. "What now?"_ _ _ _

____That seemed to snap her out of it, frowning slightly and staring out the window. "Well, I never could find the peacock. Natalie didn't have it, so Gabriel just akumatized her to join the fight. But I don't have any leads on that, since even Gabriel seemed lost on how it disappeared."_ _ _ _

____"A third party?"_ _ _ _

____"Probally, but I can't do anything until they slip up. I guess the work of a guardian is never quite done."_ _ _ _

____Raven smiled slightly at that since they had talked before about the seemingly neverending struggles of being a vigilantee. "If it wasn't for you, people might have to solve their own problems for themselves."_ _ _ _

____"And we couldn't have that," Mariette giggled back. "I don't know what I'm going to do next though, I don't really have anything keeping me here. And Jagged suggested going on tour with him, or I could contact the Queen of Style but-"_ _ _ _

____Raven understood her silence, she had heard similar things from people who tried to stop with their way of life. It just wasn't probable for people like them to stop if they could still help. "Well, you do have one option."_ _ _ _

____"Oh?"_ _ _ _

____Raven nodded briefly as she looked around for anything salvageable in her room. "You could live at Titan Tower."_ _ _ _

____"As a superhero?" Marinette asked doubtfully._ _ _ _

____"As my friend," Raven corrected her. "You could take time to learn, relax, and be yourself somewhere with others to take care of the fighting. I know you haven't taken time for yourself since this mess started, maybe even before that. Stay at Titan Tower, and rest until you know what you want to do."_ _ _ _

____Marinette considered it for a minute, and Raven noticed how her gaze seemed to stray to a fencing saber propped up against her des contemplativly. If Raven remembered correctly, her friend Kagami had been teaching her fencing for a year now. Perphaps she didn't want to leave the few loyal friends she had behind?_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____"All right."____

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _

___Sometime late in the day at Titan Tower, Raven portaled back, still dressed in her civies with a bag of macaroons. The group felt some relief, Starfire brightened considerably, flying over with a huge grin._ _   
_  


____"Did you have a good day trip, friend Raven?"_ _ _ _

____Raven nodded briefly as she summoned her cloak and placed the bag on the counter. "It was a long awaited visit."_ _ _ _

____She turned to Robin briefly and Cyborg investigated the treats she had brought back. "By the way, I told a friend she could stay with us for awhile. Her plane should get here in two days."_ _ _ _

____Robin blinked wide eyes for a moment before schooling his expression. "Um, yeah sure."_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Seemingly oblivious to her friends' startled looks, Raven continued to her room, intent on making up for the hours of meditation she had missed._ _ _ _


	5. 'Normal'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teen Titans; meet Marinette.

Dick's life had never been 'normal.'

Yes, your parents dying when you're young isn't too abnormal. But being adopted by the billionaire/vigilante who saw them die? That wasn't normal. Fighting crime in a yellow cape and a green leotard? Not normal. Living in a skyscraper on a private island with four teenagers and fighting crime after pizza? 

Not normal.

So realistically, he shouldn't still be surprised by the things life threw his way. You would think his brain would have broken with how much he'd been surprised. Standing at the terminal of the airport waiting for Raven's mysterious friend who he'd only heard of once despite his invasive nature was definitely surprising. 

They wanted to keep her out of the public eye for as long as possible obviously, so Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire were out. So Dick had grabbed a t-shirt and some old jeans from under his bed, slipping on a pair of dark sunglasses for 'Marinette's' sake. Raven may know his identity, but her friend didn't. Raven herself had made an effort to look normal, despite looking like she wanted to murder someone. 

She was making an effort, okay?

He didn't know what Marinette looked like, because while Raven hadn't threatened him into not looking into her old life, it had been _strongly _implied. And the last time Raven asked for privacy that strongly, her father had wanted to use her as an interdimensional portal to destroy and rule the earth. So Dick was just gonna trust her on this one.__

__Still, whatever he expected Marinette to look like- and he wasn't sure what that was really, he was wrong. She had her hair tied up in a singular bun with a blue knitted sweater and light pink jean shorts. She had large doe eyes that seemed to take everything in carefully and methodically._ _

__"She's _tiny," _Dick exclaimed before he could help himself. Especially considering that she didn't look that young, she was just small. He was still not that much taller than Raven, her being 5'4, but Marinette looked to be maybe 4'9 at most.___ _

____Raven smiled at that, only looking a little smug. "You should have seen her when I met her, she was 4'5."_ _ _ _

____Before he could decide if Raven was joking or not, Marinette spotted them. She brightened significantly, skipping over and barely stopping before Raven. "Hey! I'm not sure how much Raven told you, but I'm Marinette! It's so good to put a face to the name."_ _ _ _

____Dick barely stopped himself from a rude _'Wish I could say the same' _and smiled ~~down~~ back at her. "It's nice to meet you, Marinette. Can I take your bag for you?"___ _ _ _

______Marinette actually had three bags on her, one suitcase and two backpacks crossing over her back haphazardly. Raven didn't seem surprised in the slightest, and only the slightest bit amused. "Sure! Thank you."_ _ _ _ _ _

______She held out one of the backpacks, and Dick found himself surprised ~~again~~ by the weight. It wasn't hard for him to hold, it just wasn't the weight he would expect from a girl as small as Marinette holding it so casually. He really should be used to things like this._ _ _ _ _ _

______"How was your flight?" Raven asked as he led them outside. "I'm guessing you didn't sleep at all."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Jetlag's a bitch," Marinette declared. "So no I didn't. But the flight was fine! I watched some English films to brush up more on the language."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Oh!" Marinette suddenly turned back to him looking a little sheepish. "Thank you so much for letting me stay with you guys! I wasn't sure it would be possible when Raven initially offered, but I'm really excited to get to know you guys!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Everyone at the tower is pretty excited to meet you," Dick offered. "Thought I should warn you before you're tackled."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Marinette giggled at that, wringing her hands out in front of her. "It's alright! I'm just a little jetlagged though, so I might not be the best conversationalist."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"She's only this aware because she never sleeps anyways," Raven commented dryly as she held open the car door for Marinette. "You two are horrible about sleep."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Marinette winked at Dick playfully. "A fellow insomniac, we'll have to discuss strategies."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"all right,That sounds like a plan, all right," Dick chuckled as he slid into the driver's seat. He was one of the few Titans who had a driver's license. Raven couldn't be bothered seeing as she could just portal wherever, Starfire could fly, and Beast Boy managed to flunk his test every time he went. "Raven, why didn't you tell me your friend was a bird of a feather?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Oh dear God, not the puns," Marinette groaned at him as Raven glared._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Laughter filled the car all the way to the tower.______

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _

___Marinette's arrival at the tower had all the expected fanfare._  
_  
_

______ _ _ _ _

______There was a small feast of course, with vegetarian options, waffles, a large stack of tri-tip, and a gallon pump of mustard. Marinette had told the group she could bake them treats if they had ingredients, and Cyborg had nearly ran to the store on the spot. They were teenagers, and as such, they loved pizza and other fast foods, but home-cooked or baked foods were greatly appreciated. Especially when they hadn't eaten much else for so long. They had video games queued up too, and after introductions, Beast Boy and Cyborg took it upon themselves to access her skill level. She was on par if not better then Cyborg at fighting games, but couldn't even complete a lap in their racing game. Needless to say, they were fairly excited._ _ _ _ _ _

______Still; Robin's favorite part had been Cyborg's face when Marinette beat him for the first time. He had stared down at her in disbelief, but it only took a minute for that to turn into a competitive fire that Marinette seemed all too happy to leave be. That was when he realized that Marinette had a special brand of chaos about her despite her seemingly organized ways._ _ _ _ _ _

______Beast Boy seemed especially excited to have someone around who was shorter than him, but Robin could see traces of disbelief and suspicion in his eyes. He wasn’t that surprised truthfully, he'd never really healed from Terra's betrayal. He wasn't hostile, but he kept an eye on her and stayed back aways if he could._ _ _ _ _ _

______Starfire on the other hand was overjoyed, especially when Marinette easily agreed to go to the mall with her and make her a new skirt. (Robin noticed how she distastefully eyed her current one) Starfire wasn't as naive as people liked to believe, but she couldn't resist scooping Marinette into a tight hug and carrying her around until Marinette managed to escape her hold._ _ _ _ _ _

______Robin trusted Raven more than most people, which was why Marinette was there in the first place really. And though he kept an eye on her at first it was soon apparent there wasn't a need. Marinette slipped into their 'normal' neatly, and could actually ease Raven's bad mood at times. He had offered to train with her, and she had nervously accepted and proved more capable than he expected. She was still a civilian and wasn't able to fend him off for long but she had great potential._ _ _ _ _ _

______Raven was less obvious with her reactions to Marinette, but that was to be expected. If you were to glance over at her then you would find a fond smile on her face, whether she was looking at Marinette or not it was clear who it was for. Surprisingly, Marinette's bubbly nature didn't clash or slide off like one might've thought. Marinette had patience and a tentativeness about her that was easy to miss, she seemed perfectly fine waiting for Raven's deadpan and sarcastic comments in their conversations._ _ _ _ _ _

______When the team was gone Marinette would usually tap into their coms from the Titan's computer, accessing the security cams they were allowed into and keeping an eye on them. This helped them out of potential ambushes a few times, though it wasn't foolproof. She would bake or cook for them occasionally, which was a nice change from the regular barbeques and takeout the team would order._ _ _ _ _ _

______Still, the team would generally agree that Marinette was a good addition to the team, aside from Beast Boy's lingering distrust._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Everything was fine for about a month._ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise we'll get some more action next chapter! But I needed a chapter to show the dynamics from Robin's point of view since he's arguably the most observant Teen Titan.


	6. Little Lady Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the Titan's favorite villain! Drumroll, please.

Cyborg was getting tired of Slade's shit.

He had stayed quiet awhile after Trigon's defeat, maybe out of embarrassment or just the toil that came with rebuilding a criminal empire after being dead- but that had been a nice break from his shenanigans. There was still chaos, but Mumbo Jumbo and Cinderblock's version of crime was much more tolerable than Slade's. Plus, dealing with an obsessive Robin was _hell, _and he took it to a whole other level with Slade.__

__So you could probably imagine why he was upset when Slade suddenly appeared just to steal from some company._ _

__It wasn't anything special really, a large building in a neighborhood full of smaller stores. There was some witchy looking place across the street, and a taco shop right next to it. But Slade still had twenty or so Slade bots smashing windows all down the street as he calmly waited in front of the building that five more bots were breaking into._ _

__In true Slade fashion, as soon as they arrived the bots stopped, forming a circle around the group._ _

__"Don't you dare monologue," He grumbled under his breath._ _

__"Hello, Titans," Slade began monologuing, because he's a little bitch. "Fancy seeing you here."_ _

__"What do you want," Robin growled._ _

__Slade chuckled condescendingly, and Cyborg could almost see the steam rising from Robin's head. "Who says I want anything, Robin? Maybe I just missed you, and you especially Raven."_ _

__If Raven reacted at all, Cyborg couldn't see, and he didn't dare turn his back to Slade. Robin still reacted growing more defensive if possible. "Leave her alone."_ _

__"It's not her I'm concerned with," He retorted evenly. "She's too busy protecting a Ladybug to care anyways."_ _

__"Um, dude? Do you care about Raven or not?" Beast Boy interjected impatiently._ _

__"Oh, Raven knows what I'm talking about," Slade replied. "Her little _princess _can't stay under the radar forever. Isn't that right?"___ _

____"Leave her alone," Raven growled, ignoring the questioning glances her teammates sent her. All Cyborg really knew right then, was that Slade was threatening someone Raven cared about._ _ _ _

____"Guys, some of the Slade bots on your right flank just ran off," Marinette interjected over the coms. Cyborg immediately swung around to blast the stragglers, Slade narrowed his eyes in displeasure._ _ _ _

____"I see that little lady luck is helping you," Slade drawled. "It's a shame she couldn't take out all of her own enemies."_ _ _ _

____Even Beast Boy could make the connection now, he was referring to Marinette. He didn't know why, but she seemed to have realized it as well. There was a click on the coms, probably Marinette turning her end off if he had to guess. He didn't bother to check, sending a blast towards Slade and re-aiming automatically as Slade began to duck around their hits._ _ _ _

____Most of the bots weren't trying to break into the stores anymore, just keeping the Titans busy. He probably had another team attacking somewhere else while they were busy, but there wasn't much they could do considering that Slade was _here. _____ _ _

______It was strange not hearing Marinette giving them tips while they fought, but they were still more than a match for Slade's bots. The fight didn't last too long, and finally, Robin's staff came into contact with Slade's, both ostensibly pausing as they were locked in a quick battle. Despite Robin's training, Slade wasn't your typical human and was stronger for it. He shoved him off and returned his staff to its holster calmly._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Until, next time," He drawled out before white smoke covered the area, and he was gone._ _ _ _ _ _

______Robin growled, leaping forward on the slight chance he could catch a glimpse of him leaving, Cyborg didn't bother. If Slade didn't want to be seen, it was likely he wouldn't be. They just had to wait for him to slip next time he revealed himself._ _ _ _ _ _

______It didn't take long for eyes to look to Raven, she being the only one who knew much about Marinette's past._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Raven, what's going on?" Robin spat out tensely. And even though Cyborg knew he was just worked up and would apologize later, he stepped between them quickly._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Let's not be hasty, y'all."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Yes!" Starfire interjected helpfully. "Let us please do the cooling down."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Surprisingly it was Beast Boy who spoke next, eyes narrowed at Raven from where he was crouched over a discarded Slade bot. "Who is Marinette really?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Please, just trust me," Raven replied as she portrayed away. Smart on her part, the rest of the Titans climbed into the T-car since the two fliers were too preoccupied with their own thoughts. Robin was physically squirming in his seat, a scowl fixed on his face as he ~~brooded~~ thought. Cyborg himself turned up the music and considered the situation._ _ _ _ _ _

______He didn't know very much about Marinette, she was sweet and talented but not especially intimidating. He had never seen her go to bed before him, and she had good reflexes the few times Beast Boy or he had tried to play pranks on her._ _ _ _ _ _

______The rest of the day turned out fairly anti-climactic actually. The rest of the team hopped in the T-car and drove back. By the time Cyborg reached the common room, Raven was pulling Marinette to stand. Her face was pale, and her hands were shaking lightly. Raven didn't pay him any mind, walking Marinette out of the room right as Beast Boy and Starfire arrived behind him. Robin arrived a bit later, but Cyborg wasn't focused on that enough to tell, really._ _ _ _ _ _

______Slade was interested in Marinette if the girl's reactions were something to go by, and having Slade interested in you was a good way to be traumatized or thrown in a volcano. Suffice to say, Cyborg was worried, and he knew the others were to. Robin wouldn't admit it, of course, he would probably do a couple hundred background searches, but they had all grown close to Marinette. But there was still a danger pointed at her they couldn't ignore, and it made him curious._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______How normal was Marinette?_ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took so long for this short chapter! I just went back to school part-time and fell behind a bit.
> 
> Can anyone guess how Slade knew about Marinette?


	7. Official Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette opens up to the Titans! Fairly heavy chapter ahead, and not a lot of humor, unfortunately! I promise the next chapter will be more lighthearted- or at least have more humor.

By the time Marinette woke up, it was already early in the morning. 

The clock read 5 a.m. and Marinette wasn't pleased with that in the slightest. She had gotten in a habit of waking up earlier in Paris, to avoid Lila in the courtyard, and to meditate. But she still slept like a rock when she did sleep, and usually woke up around 7 with her usual effort. That had come in handy at Titan tower since she could make some pastries to avoid the apparently ordinary food war that had plagued the tower until her arrival. 

Of course; passing out early in the evening from the exhaustion resulting from a panic attack would mean she couldn't sleep for much longer.

But she digresses.

She groaned to herself as she cracked her joints lazily and pulled on a stray hoodie. Her moving into Titan's tower was supposed to be to get space from Paris and to figure herself out. But over her time there, Marinette had found herself slipping into a strange sense of normalcy with the others. On one hand, it was nice, strangely comfortable, and interesting. But on the other hand, she now found herself blindsided by the sudden complication.

Slade knew where she was, and _who _she was. She had never met Slade, but had picked up the tense air that surrounded his name, and had talked to Raven enough to know of him. From what she knew; his interest typically ended in death, destruction, and self-hatred, and self-destruction of his interest's gaze. Robin secluding himself and becoming something he hated. Raven fulfilling her worst nightmares and spiraling into a destructive state for months afterward.__

__Slade was _dangerous. _____

____She sighed to herself, checking on the kwamis that were resting in a section of her drawers before slipping quietly out of her room. She hadn't been wearing the miraculouses very often, finding that while she loved Tikki dearly, her constant presence stressed her out more than was healthy. She wore the turtle miraculous more often than the others, though she did try on different ones to give them some breathing room. Wayzz was just calming in a way that she needed more than she needed the energetic optimism or Tikki, or the quiet snark from Plagg._ _ _ _

____The halls were near silent, the faint hum of electricity in the tower could only be heard during the day, or within the generator room. There weren't any lights in the halls, and since she wasn't near a window she had to feel along the wall to make her way. In the first week, she had lived here that had been a problem- she had accidentally run her hand over a control pad to Cyborg's room and had woken him up. He hadn't been especially happy, but fell back asleep soon afterward and didn't complain much. She had learned quickly after that, keeping her hands trailing farther down to avoid further incidents._ _ _ _

____By the time she reached the kitchen she was feeling more awake. The door opened quickly, startling her slightly. The lights to the kitchen were on, and she had to close her eyes to readjust. Opening them found nothing looking especially out of the ordinary, the sky beginning to pinken outside the large windows._ _ _ _

____Robin glanced up, looking at her strangely for a moment before gesturing towards a chair._ _ _ _

____There were a few stacks of pages before him, traffic cameras having picked up some shots of Slade's bots out and about. But strangely enough, they didn't seem to be doing much besides giving Robin more of a headache. It would be funny, how Slade sent random bots all over the city for the sole purpose of annoying Robin- but she had to live with his paranoid ramblings and ravings so it was less so._ _ _ _

____The seat was cold, and Mariette wished she had worn another jacket. She got cold easier then most people as a sideaffect of the ladybug miraculous, thankfully she hadn't worn it long enough to develop any sort of hibernation instincts, but it was a slight inconvenience._ _ _ _

____Despite the chill, it didn't escape her notice that Robin had another mug pulled down from the cupboard. They were usually the first ones awake, though she had no idea when exactly Robin would wake up._ _ _ _

____"Coffee?"_ _ _ _

____"Please."_ _ _ _

____As Robin busied himself with the coffee maker, Marinette rolled a pencil between her fingers contemplatingly. She knew she would have to tell the Titans about Paris, turning the coms off so suddenly yesterday had only been her first mistake. She had been tucked under the desk in the common area when Raven had found her, and the Titans had got back before she had left. Even if it wasn't for those mistakes, Robin would have figured it out on his own. Possibly Cyborg as well._ _ _ _

____A mug was placed in front of her, and she sent a small smile at Robin. He returned it, and leaned against the counter space in front of her. She braced herself for the questions, but Robin didn't seem upset._ _ _ _

____"They're worried about you."_ _ _ _

____"They," She hesitated a moment. "They are?"_ _ _ _

____"Of course," Robin replied, picking up his own mug. "You might not know it Marinette, but you've became more then just Raven's friend. We're all a bit blindsided from last night, but first and foremost we're worried about you."_ _ _ _

____"I haven't earned that trust," Marinette protested weakly. "So why?"_ _ _ _

____"Because we trust Raven's judgement," Robin explained. Marinette deeply inhaled the steamfrom her mug, the smell grounded her more in the moment. "Now, I don't know what you've gone through really. But you don't have to go through everything alone."_ _ _ _

____"Aren't they going to be mad I didn't tell them?"_ _ _ _

____"I think they'll understand. Beast Boy might be a little upset for awhile, but I think he'll get over it eventually."_ _ _ _

____"Why?" Marinette winced, having realised too late to catch herself. "Sorry, that was-"_ _ _ _

____"We had a betrayal in the team," Robin interrupted. "We were all younger, maybe not naive per se, but we weren't as experienced for sure. She betrayed us to Slade, told him all our weaknesses, and personally exploited them. Once we regrouped, we were able to fight her and Slade, and while she did turn on him last minute, it wasn't enough to save her life. It hurt the whole team, but Beast Boy more than anyone."_ _ _ _

____Marinette felt her chest ache with sympathy, but didn't say anything. She just nodded slightly and sipped at the still-warm drink before her. They sat in silence for awhile, her sketching as best she could while Robin reviewed his files._ _ _ _

____Cyborg was the next one awake, giving her a quick but sturdy hug before walking away to run maintenance on some complicated piece of technology she could never hope to understand. Raven and Starfire woke up soon afterwards, Beast Boy a while after that. They seemed to gravitate towards the counter where Marinette and Robin were working after awhile._ _ _ _

____Finally Raven gently set her hands over her's, stopping the slight trembling she had been fighting to conceal for the past few minutes. "You're not in Paris anymore."_ _ _ _

____Maybe that didn't make any sense to the others; but to Marinette the message was clear._ _ _ _

____ _ _

_____You are not in Paris; Hawkmoth can't take advantage of you for feeling._ _ _ _ _

_____You are not in Paris; you don't have to be alone anymore._ _ _ _ _

_____You are not in Paris. ____ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______The rest of the teens paused in whatever they were using to occupy themselves while Marinette prepared herself. Marinette let out a shaky breath, feeling oddly numb as she set down her pencil._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I received the miraculous of creation when I was thirteen," Marinette began. The team stayed largely silent as she explained her story, aside from a few gasps or curses. She told her story as simply and evenly as she could, only taking breaks to breathe. She explained Hawkmoth, Chloé, Chat Noir, and Lila. She didn't bother telling them about Lila's bullying- aside from the fact she couldn't trust her temporary holders anymore. She briefly mentioned that she herself had nearly been akumatized._ _ _ _ _ _

______She told them about her parents loosing trust in her, Chat Noir's unprofessionalism, and the loss of Master Fu. She didn't expand much on the emotional toll, or the details- but the others had seen a lot of trauma and pain and probably picked up on more then just what was said._ _ _ _ _ _

______She explained how she met Raven, and why Raven couldn't stay to help._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Finally, Lila slipped up. I had already suspected she might be working with Hawkmoth, so when I found my room destroyed by her at the same time as Gabriel Agreste sent me a potentially career-ending letter, I knew it was too big of a coincidence," Marinette breathed out with only a ghost of a smile. "They had smashed my phone as well, so I couldn't talk to Raven. But I did recon using the fox miraculous and fought him by combining it with a few other miraculous and called in a few temporary heroes."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Robin frowned to himself, speaking for the first time since Marinette had began explaining. "And Chat Noir?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______She flinched slightly, much to her own annoyance. Despite her trying to heal from Paris, she hadn't spared much time to consider Chat Noir; one thing at a time and all that. Okay, so she might be stalling and making it worse, but she didn't want to well on what he had done- what he had tried to _do. _"He wouldn't help, I took the miraculous."___ _ _ _ _ _

________No one commented on her reaction, just watching as she clenched her hands to steady herself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Raven offered me a place to stay and figure myself out. I can't quit being the guardian, and even if I could I don't think I would. The peacock miraculous is still out there too," Marinette wrapped up her story. Her eyes were fixed firmly on a small crack on the countertop, nails picked down to nubs. "My personal life was pretty much destroyed by that point- I had lost most of my friends, and had turned down three different internships. I don't know how Slade found out who I was, the media from Paris was pretty tightly controlled. You would have to know what you're looking for to even know that we had a supervillain. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________There was a brief pause, each person processing her story at their own pace. Each seemed to want to say so much, but none could figure out exactly how to say it. Untill someone did._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I understand how it feels to not be able to express ones emotions suddenly," Starfire explained, thinking back to the time where she had found herself in Raven's body. The sudden change from having to use her emotions, to suppressing them had been extremely difficult. It took a different sort of strength to to that for years on end, and Starfire did not wish to ever experience it. "You did the best you were able to, and fought gloriously against the Hawkmoth."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hell yeah, you did," Cyborg chuckled. "I'd be interested in the mouse miraculous though- I could get so much more done! You gotta let me use that at some point."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven smiled slightly, glad to see Marinette flushing at the compliments. She had told her similar things before, but she knew Starifre understood the transition period better then she did. She had never been able to feel fully, and as horrible as it was, she knew from Starfire's explanations that it was a duller pain then the sharp pain of the sudden switch._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Eh," Beast Boy chuckled a bit awkwardly. "No harm no foul, I guess."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She let out a breathy giggle, flooded with relief. "I'll do that."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"If Slade knows who you are, then he will do something about it," Robin pointed out suddenly. "We need to figure out how he found out, and what his plan is. But for now-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Robin pulled a piece of paper from the stack in front of him, revealing a training schedule with her name printed out across the top. "Might be a good idea to male sure you're ready to face him when he does show his face."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Raven smirked at Marinette's slightly dumbfounded expression. "Welcome to the team, officially."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else headcanon that Slade purposefully does stuff just to stress out Robin?
> 
> Sorry for the slow updates, this chapter was interesting to flesh out for me. Not everyone on the Teen Titans really has experience with secret identities- Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy can't typically pass for human. And while Raven _could _she isn't from earth originally, and in the animated show, she never had to either. Robin is pretty much the only one who can relate to her in that regard.__


	8. Lighten Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug joins the Teen Titans in battle! 
> 
> And Robin really needs to talk to her about asking for help.

She had heard Doctor Light's shitty puns over the coms for months, it was somehow worse in person.

Still, the familiar low stance and adrenaline rushing through her at a steady hum made up for it. She hadn't even realized how much she missed this feeling until she was faced with an atrociously dressed villain with bad puns. 

It was strange having a team around her, not having to face off against the villain on her own. She had participated in plenty of training exercises since Slade's appearance- both individual and team. She was always better at individual work but had definitely grown more aware of others during her training. There was still some discomfort from wearing the ladybug miraculous- but this rush more than made up for it in her opinion.

"Don't stop now, I'm always ready to share the spotlight!"

Even if the puns were vomit-inducing.

She ducked under a blast, throwing her yo-yo at him as Beast Boy snapped at him with crocodile jaws. It was nice to start her vigilante career with a more humorous villain like Doctor Light. Slade had thankfully been absent since his first stunt, his bots occasionally spotted around town being their only present concern with him. It was still nerve-wracking of course- but Ladybug was thankful for the pause. 

She swung out her yo-yo to quickly form a net of sorts for Robin to grab as to not land face-first into the side of a building. He gave her a quick nod of thanks before rushing back in. It was nice to have a team around her, but the constant stress over their safety _wasn't. _She forced herself to take a deep breath before stopping in her sprinting. She needed to regroup briefly, and she needed a clue. "Lucky charm!"__

__Doctor Light didn't notice her, too busy with Cyborg and Starfire's joined attack. Raven was busy clearing out the civilians in the area this time, Robin didn't want her to scare him into submission every time. He had argued that while it was nice, he might become desensitized to it._ _

__Ladybug found herself holding onto a bottle of air freshener._ _

__"This stinks," She mumbled to herself as she glared at the object. The only thing she could really see being helpful is if she used it to blind him, and she couldn't really get close enough to do that. The bottle might just explode in her face if-_ _

__Oh._ _

__Well, alright then._ _

__She grinned to herself smugly as she sprinted straight towards Doctor Light. She ducked around his Lightwhip, shaking the bottle frantically as she did so. "Is that the best you got?"_ _

__"Allow me to enlighten you!" He screamed back at her, lashing out with a sloppy strike._ _

__That was all it took, she threw the bottle past the end of the whip, and it connected with the handle where it rested. He didn't bother ducking around the object- small as it was. But he defiantly took notice when the bottle exploded against the harsh heat and flash that accompanied his whip._ _

__She felt like she should send this to Mythbusters or something- caution do not try this at home. I am a training yo-yo professional who decided to experiment with potentially lethal levels of gas and heat. That would go over well with parents._ _

__Doctor Light groaned where he laid on the street, his arm and face covered with bright blisters that were starting to bleed sluggishly._ _

__"Man," Cyborg whistled apreciatly. Ladybug waited until he was close enough to Doctor light before picking up a shard of the container and tossing it up. "Miraculous Ladybug!"_ _

__The few loitering civilians (and the Titans to a lesser extent) found themselves shocked as the loveliness of ladybugs righted the toppled road signs, and smoothed over burn marks. Doctor Light's injuries healed up, though he still appeared exhausted. Cyborg held him still and disabled his weaponry as Robin approached with handcuffs._ _

__Doctor Light whimpered at Robin as he had cuffs shackled on. "How did- she was... She glows-"_ _

__"Guess we get the rest of the day off," Cyborg cheered heartedly as a police van pulled up. "Pizza?"_ _

__"I could go for pizza!" Beast Boy cheered back to no one's surprise._ _

Marinette smiled, detransforming, and feeling her phone buzz in her back pocket. She glanced at it, seeing the beginning sentence of a text before paling.

"You guys go on ahead, I gotta get back to the tower," She called over her shoulder before suiting up again. There was some distant shriek from a civilian, but she didn't pay attention. 

Maybe if she looked back she would have seen her teammates concerned looks, but she didn't. She swung straight back to the tower, dread pooling in her gut. When she detransformed in her room she ignored Tikki as well.

"Mari, why-"

"Hold on."

__She took in a shuddering breath, gazing at the devise in disbelief and growing horror. She was dimlyy aware of Tikki questioning her, but didn't pay any attention._ _

__"Mari-"_ _

__"Sorry," Marinette rushed out before unclipping the earings, Tikki gave a startled squeak but was cut off when Marinette tucked the earings back into the miracle box in her drawer. The silence was deafening but less so than when she wasn't alone._ _

__She felt alone.__

__**Unknown: You should have told me it was you M'lady. I know that you didn't leave me alone on purpose. I love you.** _ _

__**Unknown: I know where you are now, we'll be together soon, princess.** _ _

_  
_It felt like the world was frozen around her, muffled by layers of cotton and static. She knew who it was- how couldn't she? M'lady and princess were words that still sent shivers up her spine, cold denial clawing at her throat as she tried to ignore the signs of suffocation around her soul._  
_

__Maybe before Hawkmoth she would have rushed into the common room, asking for help, or for a new phone. But now- Marinette placed hr phone down gently on the desktop, face down. She pulled out a sketchbook and started sketching some old flowers on the page._ _

__

__Bluebells and violets with some black roses beneath.__

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _

_  
_Robin didn't know when Marinette became a permanent fixture at the tower._  
_  


__

__She had shifted from being slightly out of place to being part of the regular routine there. He wasn't good at expressing emotions, that was something anyone of his teammates could tell you. But he did care for his teammates and showed it in his own way._ _

__He would set the kettle on about ten minutes before Raven would walk in, laying a teabag in a mug and leaving it there for her._ _

__He found some michelanious earth-stuff for Starfire; spinning tops, reubix cubes, and coloring books._ _

__He made sure to keep oil in the house and meat in the freezer for Cyborg._ _

__And he went to the outoftheway store that Beast Boy _insisted _had the best brand of tofu.___ _

____And for Marinette; he'd make an extra mug of coffee, leave some nice pencils on her desk, and make sure there was enough baking supplies for her when the mood struck._ _ _ _

____He didn't know when he started doing that, just that it happened. So when Marinette didn't leave her room for two days- he noticed._ _ _ _

____That wasn't saying much really, the whole team noticed- Raven especially. But Raven didn't seem to know what to do, just blankly staring out the window when asked. So eventually, Robin decided he'd have to step in. From what he knew of Marinette; she wasn't the greatest at asking for help, and as the team leader he needed to remedy that._ _ _ _

____Marinette didn't seem to appreciate that when he opened her door and closed her sketchbook._ _ _ _

____"Robin, I'm almost done- could you-"_ _ _ _

____"Marinette," He admonished._ _ _ _

____She winced, slightly but it was there. There was a clock facing her on the desk, an emptied waterbottle and a trashcan overfilled with crumbled balls of paper. He noticed that her earings weren't in- which explained why Tikki hadn't come to drag them towards her on the first day._ _ _ _

____"Whats wrong?"_ _ _ _

____"I," She hesitated, looking at her phone where it lay a few feet from her. "It doesn't matter."_ _ _ _

____"Yes, it does."_ _ _ _

____She groaned, sparing him a quick glare before snatching her phone off the desk. She unlocked it and a text page popped up, two read but unreplied to messages. She handed it to him before forcibly slamming her sketchbook open, revealing a simple Jagged Stone crop top with a rhinestone collar._ _ _ _

____Reading through the messages, Robin felt his blood boil._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____"What the fuck."_ _ _ _


	9. Prepare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some snapshots in what happens next for our team.

It had been a fairly short conversation in the end, Robin dragging Marinette out had resulted in her explaining the situation fairly simplistically. She had been to tired to keep denying herself support, and it really showed. 

Thankfully, everyone in the tower seemed to understand that. 

"We are here with you," Starfire assured her.

Marinette smiled, taking deep breaths as subtly as possible to calm herself down. Admittedly, this had been so much simpler then she'd talked it up to be in her head. Though she still had that one major issue to deal with. "Thanks, but I don't know what to do."

"We can help with that," Robin reminded her. 

"I could try to track him down, and since we already got paperwork sent to the city for you to be legally part of the team, you're protected there. If he releases your identity he could go to jail.," Robin reasoned.

"He's rich," Marinette reminded him. "And he could try to argue he didn't know since the city won't release that information for another three weeks at least."

"Okay," Cyborg rubbed his palms together in concentration. "Whats stopping us from just ignoring this douchebag?"

"I'm guessing that Adrien figured out my identity from Nathalie during the final battle, as she figured it out. Adrien would have been allowed to see both Nathalie and Gabriel before the trial, so she probably told him then. He could blackmail me with my identity, and there's nothing I can really do about it," Marinette summed up.

There was a moment where no one spoke, each trying to imagine a different solution. Robin was just wondering how he could find Adrien before he would a chance to say anything. But in the end it was Beast Boy who spoke first. 

"Why don't you just reveal yourself then?"

Starfire blinked, turning to him curiously. "Forgive me, but is that not what we are trying to prevent?"

"I mean sure," Beast Boy agreed. "But you live with _the _Teen Titans now. It's not like you're unprotected."__

__Marinette considered it, imagining any way it could possibly go wrong. Adrien hadn't been her friend during her last years in Paris, so he didn't know anyone she knew personally, and Chloé and Kagami had more then enough power and influence to protect themselves. Luka also had protection from Jagged Stone, and Chloé and Kagami. Finally, Marinette found herself drawing a blank._ _

__"That could work," She breathed out._ _

__Robin nodded, a small grin on his face. "I'll set up a press conference for tomorrow then?"_ _

__Marinette smiled brightly, letting herself relax back into the couch. "Tommorrow."__

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _

__"My name is Marinette, and I originally came from Paris. I've been living at Titan Tower for a bit now on a bit of a trial period, and am proud to announce that I am officially joining the Teen Titans."_  
_

__Marinette fought to not rub her eyes as another camera flash went off. A young reporter in the front row raised his hand confidently and she nodded to him._ _

__"Civillians have reported that each battle scene has been mysteriously wiped clean of all damage since you joined the team, can you explain that?"_ _

__"Yes actually. I have a special ability called the miraculous cure that enables me to reverse any damage done while I am involved, no matter the size or severity."_ _

__Exited muttering overtook the room, though several doubtful glances were also thrown her way. Most believed her on account of the literal green man and cyborg standing beside her, but some would always doubt her she already knew._ _

__"How can we trust that you are who you say you are?"_ _

__"There's always going to be some mystery, but the rest of the Teen Titans have protected your city for years now, and have not let you down. Do you really believe they would hire me without having looked into or having known me for some time now?"_ _

__Marinette rubbed her palm against her suit pants as discreetly as possible, feeling her skin itch in discomfort. The press conferences she had done as Ladybug felt different looking back, though she had been extremely stressed then as well. She felt more bare now, having her name and face out there unmasked. "Yes?"_ _

__"Why did you originally become a vigilante?"_ _

__"I was put in a situation when I was younger where I had to be a hero or let someone close to me at the time get hurt, it's become a big part of who I am now I suppose," She admitted. Faintly, she heard Robin's watch beep, signaling the end of the questions. She gave a last smile to them, trying to force as much confidence into her voice as possible. " I know I'm new here, and many of you are unlikely to trust me off the bat, but I'm here to help. Thank you for your time."_ _

__Marinette took a deep breath as she stepped off the stage, feeling the breath in her lungs fully for the first time in what felt like weeks. She wouldn't ever have to worry about secret identies again, she was safe. Adrien couldn't blackmail her, or anyone else for that matter. Sure, she'd have to dodge some calls from Paris- but she was finally _safe.__ _

____And that made a world of difference.____

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ _

___That wasn't to say that anything was necessarily easy, Slade was still out there._  
_  
_

____Slade bots began attacking more frequently after the press conference, randomly appearing in Jump city to cause havoc, and disappear as soon as the Titan's began to beat them. They also seemed to be responding more to Marinette's attacks, anticipating her moves more and more. It wasn't an issue really, as Mairnette was an expert at fighting 'differantly,' but it annoyed Cyborg to no end. He was the one who would have to study the new lines of code or new parts._ _ _ _

____"Yep," Cyborg grumbled, scanning a minimally crushed slade bot after another quick battle. "Slade defiantly put some new code in these ones, shouldn't take long to check them out though."_ _ _ _

____"Alright, get on that."_ _ _ _

____"You're the boss," Cyborg grouched, ignoring Robin's exasperated look. Marinette felt sorry for him, but was overall just glad she didn't know how to code. She didn't want any part of that busywork thank you very much._ _ _ _

____"See you back at the tower, I'll bring you some cooked?" She offered, ignoring some envious looks from the other members of the team. She made them all cookies, so they really had no reason to be so upset._ _ _ _

____"Thanks Mari," Cyborg chuckled._ _ _ _

____Cyborg wasn't the only one affected by the new normal, everyone had something new to do for it. Robin had upped the training schedule of course, though it was mainly because they were often interrupted from their old schedule. Beast Boy had been sent out to talk to witnesses most as he did have the most charisma in the group when it came to civilians, Starfire often was sent out for airial recon, and Raven and Marinette were subjected to reviewing hours upon hours of footage from battles which would be later double checked by Robin._ _ _ _

____Not that anyone brought that up to him._ _ _ _

____Of course, Raven had actually seemed to take the new influx of Slade bots personally, viciously tearing them apart when she got the chance. But it had become more so lately._ _ _ _

____"Raven?"_ _ _ _

____"Yes loveliness," Raven turned a page in her book, knowing perfectly well what was coming._ _ _ _

____"Why is one of Slade's robots strung up inside your room?"_ _ _ _

____Raven glanced over the end of her book to find the scene exactly as Marinette depicted it. Well, more or less. "I don't know what your talking about, the head is sitting on the dresser."_ _ _ _

____Marinette spun around to find the Slade bot's head exactly where Raven had said it was. It had a large scratch around the side of it and _something _black and goey leaking into the dresser. Realy she shouldn't be surprised at this point.___ _ _ _

______"Yes I can see that, shouldn't we take this to Cyborg?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Raven considered it a moment before sighing and placing down her book. Standing next to Marinette she looked at the scene again. "I guess."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Marinette just chuckled turning towards her with a find smile. "Wanna spar afterwards? Pretty sure Robin won't come out of his Slade obsession for another three hours so we have the training floor if we want it."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"I would say five hours, but alright," Raven chuckled. Black encased the robots and floated behind the girls as they left the room._ _ _ _ _ _

______Yeah, maybe things were different now, and war was brewing on the horizon. But don't let it be said that the Titans were all high strung and anxious. There was still time for jokes and quiet moments._ _ _ _ _ _

______Until he showed up._ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated this one in a long while! I have the outline done, I've just been distracted and also focused on some other works. I'm trying to not have so many wips, but inspiration is a fickle and cruel mistress.   
> I know this one's shorter, but it's mainly just to give information and some set up before shit starts going down.


End file.
